Abnormally normal
by barcode-babe-210
Summary: My first X-Fic! Read and Review, please! It's hard to be a child and alone in this world. but to be a mere child and having another one that you have to take care of, it's hard. Especially if you are mutants. I guess this is where i introduce myself...
1. A twist of fate, an abyss in judgement

A/N: hey everyone!!! okay, here's the thing- this is my first ever X-men fic, but I love the movies so much that I'm giving it a try. Please help me if I mix up characters. Any suggestions would be great! I have a vague storyline, but I'd be perfectly happy to add in what the 'people' want! 

Please review, and let me know if this is ok, all right? I'm doing some serious fretting right about now, so hurry up and press the little purple button!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Beaver Dam, NY. 

~I used to have a family. I used to be normal. Hell, I used to be a cheerleader.~ A brunette teenager looking way too tired for being so young announces to the cook that she's taking a fifteen minute break. He replies with a gruff, "Well, hurry the hell up!" She sighs, walking outside the diner into the little woods behind it, sitting on a medium-sized, well-weathered rock.

She sits there, watching the sun set and rocking back and forth softly, her apron getting dirty but she doesn't care. She's lost in the memories of the past, the voices of those better left forgotten.

~You're fat.(one of the popular girls)~ she stands up shakily, but then falls to her knees, grabbing at weeds and rocks with a death grip. ~You're not normal...Get out of my house, mutant scum!(her mother)~ she throws up over and over, feeling dirtier by the second as the onslaught of memories fails to stop. ~You take my mutant baby and get the hell out of here, trash! (Her mother)~

After getting rid of everything that had been in her stomach, she takes out a pocketknife, watching the light of the moon dance off of it. She lifts up her shirt sleeve, readying herself for the pain. She slices into her forearm, leaning her head against her arm, letting the blood drip slowly onto the dirt and gravel beneath it, already bloodstained from countless other times that the girl has cut herself.

~I know it's wrong and stupid, but I need to feel. That's why I do it. The need to not feel numb overwhelms me. I guess it's the same with the whole eating thing, too. Whatever. I can do whatever the hell I want. I don't have anybody to worry about me, anyway.~ She stares at the stars, looking for a shooting one.

_~Star light, _

_Star bright, _

_First star I see tonight,_

_I wish I may,_

_I wish I might,_

_Have the wish_

_I wish tonight..._

_I wish I wasn't Tru Lynne Montgomery.~_

The blood drips to the ground, a silent penance for being different. An offering to whoever decides who is a mutant or not, that they had made a mistake, and to take all of it- the power, the hurt, the pain- away.

~Take me away~__

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~X-Men, meet me at the Jet. New mutant, and she's hurting.~ Professor Xavier's voice booms softly in each of the X-men's heads, and they drop whatever they're doing to quickly get changed into their leather gear. 

Within five minutes, Storm, Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Bobby, Rogue, Jubilee, and Remy are all in front of the X-Jet, donning their gear. Professor Xavier is at the entrnce of the jet, waiting quietly for them. 

"We have found a new mutant, ladies and gentlemen. She's in trouble, and we need to get her out of wherever she is. It is the duty of the X-men." he announces, and they all nod.

"Please, save me the drama, Chuck." Logan says gruffly, that irrepressible smirk plastered all over his face as he struts onto the jet.

"Well, right then. On to save the world, shall we?" Prof. X smiles softly as the rest of the crew clambers aboard. 

Giggles resound from Rogue and Jubilee as Bobby starts a pillow fight with some of the pillows on board. Logan groans, rolling his eyes in his typical 'this sucks big time' stature. "Giggles take away from the menacingness of it all."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Beaver Dam, NY, Tru's PoV

Today is definitely not my day. I've already had two ass-grabbers, three chest-starers, I've dropped the menu twice, and I couldn't get away after lunch to bulimia it up. Great...well, tomorrow I guess I just won't eat.

Sigh...could this day get any worse? This sucks ass. I turn the tv to the news station, needing to see what's new in the Mutant World. I need to stay up on everything, and keep me and Jessie's powers under control. Damn, I need to leave- babysitter's there for about fifteen more minutes and I need to walk back.

"Sonny, I have to leave now. Mary-Jane's babysitter has to leave." I tell our chef. He's so much nicer than the other one we have. His name's Patrick, and he isn't the nicest guy- or the most hygienic, for that matter. 

I tell Sonny goodbye and head over to the Oakleaf Motel, our home for the past four months. It's filthy and smutty, but it's cheap and I know the owner, so he lets me go off when the tips aren't so good.

I enter the hotel, and immediately the smell of it hits me. The Oakleaf Motel definitely has its own smell, that's for sure. It's kind of a mix between the burning air smell coming from behind the vending machine, the smell of too-much aftershave used by Harry, the guy who owns the place, and something I can't quite put my finger on...me and Sally, my neighbor, have this bet on what it is. So far her bet's on old cab driver smell, and mine's on the perfume that all the prostitutes share. I'm so gonna win.

I run as fast as I can to Sally's room, wanting to get her and play with her after a long day of working. God, I wish I just once had the chance to be a normal teenager. It's just not fair. I mean, it's one thing to kick your 14 year old daughter out on the street; it's an entirely different story to shun your 1 year old baby girl. 

I knock on Sally's door, waiting for a response impatiently. I raise my hand to knock just as the door swings open, revealing a very sleepy Mary-Jane and a very happy-looking Sally. "Hey, girl, thanks for watching her." I tell Sally, truly grateful that she's able to watch Mary-Jane.

"No problem, hun, you know you can always call if you need to." she tells me, and I fish some bills out of my pocket. She shakes her head vigorously, "No, honey. You keep that money and buy Mary-Jane some toys."

"Thanks again!" I yell as she shuts the door. I turn to Mary-Jane, who's staring up at me with those huge violet eyes of hers. "So, what do you want to do now, honey?" I ask her, and am immediately answered with shouts of "Little Mermaid! Little Mermaid!!" Of course. It's not like she _ever_ watches anything else. I don't mind, though. She keeps me grounded, stops me from getting too unattached. 

She jumps out of my arms and clambers onto the bed with all the grace of her two years-that is to say, not much. She looks at me intently, those beautiful eyes of hers boring a whole straight into me. "What is it, honey?" I ask her, knowing that another surge of power's hitting her- I can always tell when she has a 'feeling.' You see, she's an empath, she can feel what other people are feeling.

"They're coming, Tru." she says, her voice shaking a little. "Don't worry though, o-sister-of-mine, they're good ones. I can feel 'em." she says, scrunching her nose up like she's just remembering something. "Can I have a cookie?" she asks, waving away the seriousness of a two-year old with powers and going straight to the food I brought from work.

I grab two cookies from the bag of food I always get from work- Sonny lets me sneak it because he knows how short on cash I am. I hand her one, and she munches away happily. I hear a light buzzing sound, but brush it off. Moments later, somebody knocks at the door. 

Mary-Jane, being the great sharer that she is, takes the bag of cookies and scampers beneath the bed, hoarding it for herself. Well, no more cookies for me. I head to the door, feeling a bit uneasy as I swing it open without even looking at the peephole- what? MJ did say that they were good.

"Um....hi." a man with a ducktail haircut mumbles. I look in disbelief at the nine people in front of me. They're all wearing black leather with X's in various places, except for one man, who I assume to be their leader.

"Um, hi." I say, standing in awe. Mary-Jane runs between my legs, looking up at me expectantly.

"I told you they were good, didn't I?" she says proudly, even though I have no proof of that yet. She turns to our visitors, holding out her precious bag of cookies. "You want some? They're really good, and we're watching The Little Mermaid, and..." she runs back to the bed and starts jumping up and down happily, singing happily to her little self as I motion my amused visitors in.

"I'm Tru, and that's Mary-Jane." I introduce, and they all smile. The man in the wheelchair, chocolate chip cookie now in hand, smiles softly at me.

"I'm Professor Xavier, and I am in charge of Xavier's school for Gifted Youngsters." he says, and I give him a 'so what' look, not even meaning to. "The people who go there- staff, children, everyone- we're all mutants. And we were wondering if you'd like to come to the school." he says, and I ponder it for a moment, then remember that I was kicked out of my upper-middle-class lifestyle.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I would like to go, I really would. And I'm sure MJ would, too...but I don't have any way to pay for it." I tell him honestly, and he laughs.

"It doesn't matter. We take in anyone who wants to come. You are welcome." he says, and everyone around him smiles.

I scoop Mary-Jane up from her perch on a chair. "So, Mary-Jane, you up for it?" I ask her.

"Yupyups!!" she yells, grinning from ear to ear. "Wait a minute..." she says, looking serious for a minute. All of the X-Men, as they call themselves, tense up for a minute under the scrutiny of a two-year-old. "Do they have cookies there?" she asks, and I roll my eyes. 

"You're gonna turn into a cookie, girl." I tell her.

"You'd like to know that my Rogue," the boy named Bobby put his arm around a girl with white streaks in her hair, "makes the best chocolate chip cookies around." he says proudly.

"Save me the mush." Wolverine says, and I grin, already feeling at home with these people.

"So, we're going?" I ask Professor Xavier, and he smiles.

"You're coming." all of the X-Men say, with such a finality that I can't argue.

Mary-Jane, however, is oblivious to all of this, drawn to the television by a red-haired mermaid singing songs about how much better it must be on land. She dances happily, twirling around the room while I pack until she hits Wolverine

"Woah, watch where you're going, darling." he advises her, lifting her onto his shoulders.

"I saw you, I just wanted to be tall." she announces imperiously. That's my girl.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``

A/N: so, what'd ya think? Tell me, please!!!!!!!!! click the little purple button!!


	2. Building the walls up

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Bobby looks around the jet, bored out of his mind as his ex, Rogue, and Jubilee talk about the latest trends in sneakers. His eyes float to Tru, who's holding Mary-Jane in her lap. The sleeping little girl is clutching a ragdoll with all of her might, threatening to decapitate it.

He walks over and sits down on the seat next to her. "Hey," he says, and she lifts her light brown eyes to meet his.

"Oh, hi. How are you?" she asks politely, pulling Mary-Jane a little closer to her in an instinctive, maternal move. 

"To be honest, bored out of my mind. So, you excited about the move?" he asks, gauging her reaction. She swallows, then smiles thinly. 

"Nervous...really, really nervous." she tells him, glad to have somebody to talk to. "But I'm sure Mary-Jane will like it, and if she says that you guys are good, then it's true." she says, and Bobby wonders if it's for her benefit or his.

"I'm sure you'll like it, too." he says, and she shrugs. "You don't think you will?"

"I don't know," she says quietly, her demeanor meek and scared-looking, though she's trying to get past it. "I'm not used to much human interaction. Well, except for the creeps at work and my neighbor, Sally. I mean, even when I was little, I couldn't hang out with people." she blurts out angrily, stopping when she realizes she spilled the beans.

"What do you mean?" Bobby asks, but is interrupted by the whir of the jet door opening and Wolverine calling, "Honey, I'm home!"

"Um, we should get off now." Tru says, lifting Mary-Jane. Bobby nods, and a voice enters his mind. ~Take her to my office after you put the little one to bed.~ He assures the professor the he will, and Rogue and Jubilee come behind them.

"Hey Bobby, new girl." Jubilee says with a smile on her face. Tru mumbles a hello, her arms getting sore from holding the little girl for so long. "I'm Jubilee, and this is Rogue."

"Nice to meet you." she says quietly, and the other girls exchange glances.

"We should probably get her a bed." Bobby says, eyeing the sleeping child as Jubes and Rogue "awe!" over her, immediately taken with the child.

"That'd be great. I think my arms are gonna fall off pretty soon." Tru smiles, readjusting Mary-Jane to make her arms a little less cramped.

"I can carry her for you, if you'd like." Bobby offers, and Tru thinks on it for a moment.

"Um, ok. Thanks, that's real sweet of you." she says, giving him a smile. Jubilee rolls her eyes, scoffing dramatically.

"That's Bobby for you, Mr. Humanitarian." she snorts, Rogue giggling along with her friend. Tru grabs her bags, looking only the slightest bit confused as the girls continue laughing.

"I, uh, kind of initiated an impromptu water fight, of sorts." he says, barely managing a straight face as the girls roll their eyes, still holding a grudge. Tru laughs softly.

"I haven't had a good water fight in ages." she says, then pauses. "Well, unless you count when Mary-Jane doesn't want to take a bath."

They turn to the nursery, now dark and quiet. Bobby places Mary-Jane in a crib, instructed politely to do so by Tru. He backs up, allowing her to pass by him. She tucks Mary-Jane in like an Eskimo Baby (where all the edges of the blankets are underneath you, so you stay warmer.). She kisses the little girl on the forehead, then joins the others in the hallway.

"So, what now?" Tru asks, glancing to the nursery, a little nervous to leave Mary-Jane alone. "On to the Professor?" she asks hesitantly.

"We're gonna go to bed- Physics test tomorrow." Jubilee groans, and Rogue nods. "But I'm sure Bobby wouldn't mind showing you around." she says, and the girls turn and walk away, their shoes squeaking softly on the wooden floor.

"It's fine. I don't to make you come." Tru says as way of apology for Jubilee's actions. "Which way is it?"

Bobby shakes his head. "Nuh uh. You aren't getting away that easily." he tells her, and for a moment she reminds him of a deer in headlights. ~Wow, she _really_ must have been on the run.~ "I want to know more about our new student, before you're whisked away by one of the groups of girls." he tells her, and she laughs.

"Yeah, um, you're kinda wrong there." Tru tells him, her honey-colored eyes shining brightly. "See, I never really got along with girls much." She sighs, wishing she could have had a more normal childhood.

"Why not?" Bobby asks, confused by the fact that someone couldn't like as sweet a girl as Tru.

"Well, when I was really little, I loved hanging out with my friends. Then my dad died when I was 6 and a half, and I just became a total introvert, using my books and dancing to hide from the world. The other girls wanted to go to the mall and talk about boys, but I wanted to go out and change the world." she tells him, and he nods. "And then mother and stepfather had Mary-Jane, and I had to take care of her because they were always gone to functions and dinner parties." she says as they near the Professor's office, rolling her eyes.

"They make you take care of her?" he asks incredulously. Tru shrugs it off.

"I just think of it as practice for now, when I need to take care of her." Tru says, pointing to the door. "Is this is?"

"Oh, yeah." Bobby nods, feeling stupid for forgetting. "If you want, I'll wait out here and then show you around." he adds, wanting to talk to her some more.

"Ok, but if you need to get some sleep, I understand." she tells him, trying not to get her hopes up with a new friend. ~They always end up leaving.~

"I'm practically nocturnal." he tells her, and she laughs, closing the door with a smile. She turns around, grinning, and sits in a chair offered by the Professor.

"I see you've made a new friend." he says and Tru thinks on that for a moment.

"I hope so. It's been kind of lonely lately, with just me and Mary-Jane." she says, then holds her hands up in front of her, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the girl to death and all, but sometimes I need to just get away from it all."she expains, tugging her sleeves down to cover the scars, both faded and raw red.

"I just want to know a little background information, if that's all right with you, Tru. I like to know my students." he says, and she keeps playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Um, ok...wouldn't it just be easier to go inside my head?" she asks, confused.

"Yes, but I'd rather you tell me." he says, watching her fidget a bit.

"Um...ok, my name is Tru Lynne Montgomery, and I'm 16. I was born in Sacramento, and lived there until my powers manifested. My real dad died when I was six and a half, and my mother remarried when I was 7. To a not-nice man." she says quietly, then continues. "She had Mary-Jane three years ago next Friday, and it was always my job to take care of her. When I discovered my mutation, which is the power over electricity, I told my mother, who let all of our neighborhood know. The formed a lynch mob. Mother feared, and correctly so, that Mary-Jane was a mutant, too." Tru says, staring at the floor as memories fly through her mind. The professor pries a bit into her mind, shocked at the pain he sees. "She would have let them get her." She looks up into the Professor's eyes, filled with tears, as her voice quavers. "She was just a baby! I barely had enough time to get Mary-Jane, a few things, and to leave the house before the mob came."

She's quiet for a moment, averting her eyes, trying to gain composure as pictures of her best friends with bats and guns fly by. "So, I moved across the country, as far away from them as I could get. And I've been taking care of Mary-Jane ever since." she ends, feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the emotions of her past brought up.

"I see. You've had it rough." he tells her, still amazed at what he saw in her mind. "Now, can you tell me how much control you have over your powers, and about Mary-Jane's, too?" he asks her, and she nods.

"Well, I can control my powers fairly well. I've only made a circuit break once, but then it wasn't my fault- faulty wiring." she says, blushing with embarrassment. Professor X chuckles. Tru continues, "Mary-Jane is extraordinary, especially for being so young. She's an empath, but her link with me is very strong. When I have nightmares, she can feel them, too. Normally, she has to concentrate pretty hard, but with me it's different. Like she doesn't even need to concentrate to use her powers on me. Needless to say, I can't sleep all that much-I don't want her to see my nightmares." she explains, and Professor nods, intrigued. ~A link between siblings...Dr. Johansson will find this very interesting.~

"yes, well, feel free to stay up in the library or the living room, or just to wander around." he tells her, understanding the need to protect her little sister from the nightmares that haunt her. "Many of our students have troubles sleeping."

"Thank you, Professor. For everything." Tru says. 

"Anything for my students. Now, come in here at nine o'clock tomorrow and we'll set up your classes." he tells her with a smile.

"Thanks again!" she calls as she hops out of the cahir and walks out of the room happily. As she reaches for the door, her sleeve slides up, revealing a trail of scars on her arm.

~Oh, dear.~ the Professor thinks as he sits alone in his office, wondering what else this new student hides from the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: hey, guys! I know, boring chapter, but I needed to get some background info on Tru in. Don't worry, next chapter is exciting!!!! I'll update probably tomorrow!!!! woo hoo!!!

Review, please!! I'll luv ya forever!!! hugs and kisses to my reviewers!!!!

DISCLAIMER: we all know that x-men doesn't belong to me...ya don't have to rub it in. *pouts*

molly jeane :D


	3. Sugar, coffee, and a midnight dance sess...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Outside Professor's office

"You made it." Bobby says joyously, pretending to be shocked.

"Yeah, no big. I told him about MJ and my powers, and gave him the very abridged versioin of my life." she says as she once again shoulders her backpack and they start walking the grounds.

"Trust me, with Professor X, he'll eventually know everyhting about you." Bobby laughs, and Tru blanches. ~Everything? About me throwing up,. And cutting, and dancing?! Oh, god...~ He laughs at her reaction, not knowing the depth of it. "Don't worry, he's pretty cool. Well, for an old guy."

"Hey, you want to show me where I can stash my stuff?" Tru asks, wanting desperately to dance.

"Oh, yeah, this way." he says, and they continue to walk through the halls. "So, what do you do in your spare time? Not that you probably have much; MJ seems like an energetic kid."

"Yeah, she's a hellion, all right." she laughs. "Hmmm...well, I love to write, and read, and...you can't tell anyone, all right?" she pauses, waiting for him to nod while chewing on her lip nervously. He nods, and she continues, "I love dancing. It's my favorite thing in the world." she gushes, grinning without really meaning to.

"Can I see?" Bobby ventures, happy to see her so excited about something.

"No!" she cries, then blushes. "I just mean that...well, I'm not too good. It's just something I do." 

"I see." he says, a little dissapointed.

"Are you mad at me?" Tru asks sullenly, earning from Bobby a "No! Of course not!!" She sighs, relieved. "Good. I mean, if I were any good, I'd show you. But it's just be a waste of your time, and a humiliation of me." she tells him. ~I'm not good at anything.~

"Here we are." Bobby says as they arrive at a room with one bed that already has most of Tru's bags on it.

"Thanks again, Bobby." Tru tells him, her gratefulness shining in that 1,000 watt smile. "You've really made me feel welcome here."

"No problem." he says, not really wanting to go but knowing that she probably needs some sleep, unlike him. ~On to the midnight snacks!~

"Night!" she calls. ~If only he didn't need to go to sleep~ she muses, walking into the room. Deciding to unpack later, she grabs a mini knapsack from a duffel bag and steps into the deserted hallways, on a quest. She looks into the classrooms, trying to find one that's completely bare.

She passes the kitchen, completely unaware that as she slips into an empty room, she's being watched. A boy walks to the door slowly, looking through the slightly open door to where Tru stretches on the ground, her head meeting her knee on the ground. She sits up, tying on a pair of old, beat-up ballet slippers on her feet. 

She rises up gracefully, raising her arms up in a semicircle above her head, rising onto her toes in perfect pointe form. She stops, lookng around for a music setup of some sort, happy to find an ancient, forgotten boom box. She lifts her hand and a light purple stream of light shoots out, gathering into a ball in one corner of the room to light it softly. 

Her legs kick up, and she twirls around the room, dancing like there's no tomorrow. She rests on one toe, stretching her other leg as far behind her as possible, then turns into an array of pirouettes, landing in the middle of the room with a leap that most would envy. 

Bobby watches her from the door, not at all sad he missed a midnight snack to see where she was going. And frankly, not quite sure why she wants to hide this gift from everyone. ~She's incredible.~ he thinks as she kicks and leaps her way around the room, once doing an entire lap in just spinning. She does a pirouette, and keeps on spinning, her hair flying wildly as she spins, and a grin so wide plastered on her face that it threatens to crack it in half. Then she lands, one foot slightly behind her and an arm in the air. She walks to the window to do some pleas, not even breathing heavily.

"That was incredible." he blurts out as Tru walks across the room. She freezes. ~Shit! I shouldn't have said anything.~ he groans mentally.

~Shit! I know I should have waited until at least 3~ she mentally kicks herself. She turns around, fidgeting with the sleeves of her shirt. "Uh, how much of that did you see?" she whispers, shaken by the idea of someone seeing her dance.

Bobby walks closer to her, smiling a bit at her unneeded self-speculation. "The whole thing," he tells her, and she groans and lowers her eyes to the floor. He puts a finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his. "You were incredible, Tru. Why wouldn't you want anyone to know?" he asks her as she slips off her pointe shoes and slides into her slippers.

"I don't like people watching me. I just...don't like it." she says, sitting on the window-seat. ~Don't deserve it's more like it.~

"I'm sorry if I upset you. I just didn't know if you were lost or something." he explains sincerely, not wanting her to be mad at him.

"Damn, and here I was thinking I had my very own stalker!" Tru smirks, and he laughs, grateful for once, to have a girl with a sense of humor at the school. She shakes her head. "Naw, I just don't sleep much because Mary Jane can feel when I have nightmares." she says, yawning.

"Why don't we get some coffee and sugar?" Bobby asks. Tru nods, practically drooling. They walk out into the sleepy hallways, instep with each other and both unsure of how to act around each other, still feeling the other out.

The moonlight shines through the windows, casting shadows into the once again empty room as the couple leaves, the room lonely once again. But for once, Tru isn't.

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A/N: what'd y'all think? Did it suck? Rocked your world? Need Tums to stomach it? Tell me, whatever it may be, and I'll be grateful!!!

DISCLAIMER: no one's mine except for Tru and Mary Jane. 

Luv ya!

Molly Jeane :D


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